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Matte Painting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant ... If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video ...

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant ... If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video ...

TheLab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$150K/yr

The Compositing Artist is responsible for creating the final seamless image by integrating live ... Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass ...

TheLab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

The Compositing Artist is responsible for creating the final seamless image by integrating live ... Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass ...

thelab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY

The Compositing Artist is responsible for creating the final seamless image by integrating live ... Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass ...

Company3

Restoration Technician

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

Meet production schedules while maintaining the highest level of technical and artistic quality ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company3

Production Coordinator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Previous experience in Entertainment/Film/Arts. * Episodic or Feature Finishing Post-Production ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company 3 / Method Inc.

Color Assist

New York, NY · On-site

$22 - $30/hr

Ensure that artists add their session time to the work order. * Prep and add any FX drop-in shots ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company3

Color Assist

New York, NY · On-site

Ensure that artists add their session time to the work order. * Prep and add any FX drop-in shots ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

All JobsMatte Painting Artist Jobs

Matte Painting Artist information

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How much do matte painting artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for matte painting artist in the United States is $24.65, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.55 and $27.88 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a matte painting artist?

A Matte Painting Artist creates realistic or stylized digital backgrounds and environments for films, TV shows, and video games. They blend 2D and 3D elements, often incorporating painted textures and photographic references to extend sets or create landscapes that would be difficult or expensive to build physically. These artists work closely with VFX teams, compositors, and art directors to ensure seamless integration of their work into the final scene. Their expertise lies in perspective, lighting, and atmosphere to enhance storytelling and visual impact.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be a matte painting artist?

To thrive as a Matte Painting Artist, you need strong skills in digital painting, photo manipulation, and a solid understanding of perspective, color, and composition, often backed by a degree in fine arts or a related field. Mastery of industry-standard tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Maya, and Nuke is essential, with some studios valuing certifications or a robust professional portfolio. Attention to detail, creativity, and effective communication are key soft skills for collaboration and delivering visually compelling environments. These skills collectively enable Matte Painting Artists to create realistic, immersive backgrounds that seamlessly enhance films, games, or other media productions.

What challenges do matte painting artists face when working on film or game projects?

Matte Painting Artists often face the challenge of matching their digital environments seamlessly with live-action footage or 3D assets, which requires a keen eye for detail and consistency. They must frequently adapt to changes in project direction, tight deadlines, or evolving creative feedback from directors and supervisors. Collaboration with VFX teams, lighting artists, and compositors is a common part of the job, as is problem-solving to achieve photorealistic results within technical constraints. Overcoming these challenges helps artists grow their skills and contributes to delivering high-quality visual storytelling.

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Matte Painting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Matte Painting Artist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 57% In-person, 14% Hybrid, and 29% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $51,263 per year, or $24.6 per hour.

AI Artist

Magnopus

Los Angeles, CA

$100K - $160K/yr

Full-time

Posted 18 days ago

Job description

Magnopus is looking for an AI Artist to create high-quality, photorealistic imagery and motion content for a major new project.

As a spatial design and innovation company, we work at the intersection of technology, creativity and emerging experiences. Our teams bring together artists, engineers, designers and producers to create visionary work using both established production techniques and rapidly evolving technologies.

In this role, you'll combine a strong artistic eye with hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine characters, environments and motion assets for production.

You'll work with image and video generative AI tools, node-based workflows and more conventional creative techniques to take work from initial generation through iteration and refinement to production-ready output.

This is first and foremost an artist role. We're looking for someone with excellent visual judgement who can use generative AI effectively as part of their creative toolkit, working within innovative workflows to deliver consistently high-quality results.

Contract
This is an initial fixed-term project hire through the end of September 2026, with an anticipated extension through February 2027, subject to project requirements.
Location
This role requires working onsite at our Downtown Los Angeles studio five days per week. The project is highly collaborative and fast-moving, with the team working closely together in person throughout production.
What you'll do
  • Create feature-film quality character elements, environments and motion assets for use in production.
  • Use generative AI image and video tools to create, explore and iterate visual ideas against a clear creative brief.
  • Work within node-based generative AI workflows to generate and refine production assets.
  • Use conditioning and control techniques to shape composition, pose, character consistency and overall visual style.
  • Create and refine image-to-video, video-to-video and other generative motion outputs, maintaining visual quality and consistency across sequences.
  • Adjust lighting, perspective, composition and other visual elements using multimodal editing tools and established creative techniques.
  • Identify and correct artifacts, inconsistencies and other visual issues in generated content.
  • Perform light compositing, paint and finishing work where needed to deliver polished, production-ready assets.
  • Collaborate with other artists, technical artists and production teams to maintain the creative vision and quality of the project.
  • Test emerging tools and techniques, providing feedback to help improve the workflows used by the wider team.
What will help you succeed in this role
  • A strong artistic foundation and excellent visual judgement, particularly when creating photorealistic imagery.
  • Strong professional experience creating high-quality visual content within film, VFX, animation, games or another relevant creative production environment.
  • Hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine high-quality, photorealistic imagery.
  • Experience using node-based generative AI workflows such as ComfyUI or similar graph-based tools.
  • Experience using conditioning and control techniques within generative AI workflows to manage composition, pose, character and stylistic consistency.
  • Strong hands-on experience with generative video tools, including image-to-video and video-to-video workflows.
  • A strong understanding of composition, lighting, color, perspective, camera and lens characteristics, continuity and visual consistency.
  • The ability to critically evaluate generated output, identify visual issues and iterate efficiently towards a clear creative target.
  • Experience refining generated assets using multimodal editing tools, compositing, digital painting or similar techniques.
  • A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality visual work across generative imagery and motion content.
  • The ability to collaborate effectively with artists, technical artists and production teams in a fast-moving production environment.
 
Even better if you also have
  • A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant production art discipline.
  • Experience delivering visual assets within feature film, VFX, AAA game, or another high-end production environment.
  • Experience working with rapidly evolving generative AI tools and adapting established creative workflows as new capabilities emerge.
Think you could be a great fit?
If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video workflows, and believe you could make an immediate impact on the project, we'd love to hear from you.
$100,000 - $160,000 a year
Our posted salary ranges reflect the range of experience and skills we may consider for the role. Individual offers are determined based on relevant experience, skills, and internal pay equity. To support fair and equitable compensation practices, as well as ongoing growth within the role, most offers will not be made at the top of the advertised range.
About Magnopus

Magnopus is an experience-focused technology company founded by a team of Oscar-winning artists, designers and engineers from the worlds of film, games and immersive media.

We create experiences that bring together storytelling, creativity and technology in new ways - from immersive attractions and interactive installations to virtual production, spatial computing, AI-powered experiences and emerging technologies. Our work helps some of the world's most recognisable brands and organisations connect with audiences in ways that weren't previously possible.

We've built experiences for millions of people around the world and continue to explore what's possible at the intersection of creativity, technology and human connection.

Though we've delivered a lot of incredible work, here are just a few examples you can explore yourself:

 
Metallica: Music Experience in UEFN
Mission: ISS
Alo Moves XR
World of Fallout
Daft Punk Experience, Fortnite
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

We're proud of the work we create, but we're equally proud of how we create it. Magnopus is built around collaboration, curiosity and respect. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere, and we strive to create an environment where talented people can learn, grow and do some of the best work of their careers.

You'll join a multidisciplinary team of artists, designers, engineers, producers and technologists who specialise in bringing ambitious ideas to life. Studio work at Magnopus is varied, collaborative and often unlike anything you've worked on before, giving you the opportunity to contribute to projects that push creative and technical boundaries.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process - for example, to transcribe interviews and generate summaries. These tools are not used to review applications or analyse resumes, and they do not replace human judgement. All hiring decisions are made by people. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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